Holocaust a myth, says Iranian president

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks in the Iranian city of Zahedan. Photograph: AP

Iran's president said today that the Holocaust was a "myth", prompting strong condemnation from Israel, Germany and the European Commission.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the comments to thousands of people during a speech in Iran's south-eastern city of Zahedan.

They follow the international outcry his remarks caused in October when he said that Israel should be "wiped off the map".

Germany's foreign minister warned that the "shocking and unacceptable" comments would influence coming nuclear talks between Europe and Iran.

The European Commission also said the remarks would hurt Iran's relations with other countries.

Addressing the crowds in Zahedan, Mr Ahmadinejad said: "Today, they have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion and the prophets."

He has previously expressed doubts about the murder of the Jews by the Nazis, but today was the first time he said publicly that the Holocaust was a myth.

Speaking as part of a tour of south-east Iran, Mr Ahmadinejad said that if Europeans insisted the Holocaust did happen, then it was they who were responsible and they should pay the price.

"If you committed this big crime, then why should the oppressed Palestinian nation pay the price?" Mr Ahmadinejad asked.

"This is our proposal: if you committed the crime, then give a part of your own land in Europe, the United States, Canada or Alaska to them [Jews], so that the Jews can establish their country," he said.

These comments developed a theme he first raised in Saudi Arabia last week.

Today in Israel, foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev said: "The repeated outrageous remarks of the Iranian president show clearly the mindset of the ruling clique in Tehran and indicate clearly the extremist policy goals of the regime."

Referring to allegations that Iran was developing nuclear bombs, Mr Regev went on: "The combination of fanatical ideology, a warped sense of reality and nuclear weapons is a combination that no one in the international community can accept".

Avner Shalev, the director of Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to the Holocaust in Jerusalem, said Mr Ahmadinejad's comments required a "stronger response from world leaders".

Austria's president, Heinz Fischer, said the remarks were "unacceptable".

In Berlin, the foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said his government had summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires to make "unmistakably clear" its displeasure.

"I cannot hide the fact that this weighs on bilateral relations and on the chances for the negotiation process, the so-called nuclear dossier," Mr Steinmeier said, referring to European talks with Iran on its nuclear programme.

Mr Ahmadinejad's views sharply conflict with those of his predecessor, Mohammad Khatami, a moderate who used to call for dialogue among civilisations and promoted a low-key understanding with the United States that stopped short of diplomatic relations.

Within Iran, Mr Ahmadinejad's remarks have been criticised by some of his conservative allies who fear he is hurting the country's image. Moderate Iranians have called on the ruling Islamic establishment to rein in the president.

But Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the ultimate say, has backed Mr Ahmadinejad's calls for Israel's elimination.

Mr Ahmadinejad, a former hardline mayor of Tehran, became president of Iran in August after a surprise election result.

Today, Mr Ahmadinejad also criticised the United States for refusing to sell Iran spare parts for its civilian planes as part of its long-standing embargo against the country.

Iran has suffered a series of plane accidents - most recently on December 6 when an ageing US-made military transport plane crashed into a block of flats in Tehran, killing 115 people. Iranian officials have blamed Washington for the crashes, saying they are partly caused by the difficulty in obtaining spare parts.

"No country is authorised to impose spare-part sanctions against another country. Nothing can justify this," Mr Ahmadinejad said.